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    • The Decluttering Continues

    February 3, 2011 by

    As I’ve mentioned previously, I’ve been decluttering the house, from top to bottom, and I’ve even shared ten decluttering tips that have worked for me. Much of my inspiration has come from Flylady, who has been instrumental in helping me to stop being such a perfectionist. Much of my decluttering has been done in small chunks of time – 15 minutes here, 10 minutes there, even 5 minutes just to clean out one file in my filing cabinet. But all of those small chunks of time have added up – here’s just a sampling of the things I have removed from our house:

  • A banker’s box full of papers, which have been shredded (and all of my file purging has nearly filled the box up again!)

  • Two bags of kids’ clothing

  • Two bags of adult clothing

  • A juicer that I never used

  • The Aerogarden that never fulfilled my dreams

  • Some jewelry I’m never going to wear (I passed on a bracelet to a friend’s daughter, which was so fun because she loved it!)

  • Unopened toys that my boys never played with

  • Plastic cookie cutters I never used (kept some for Playdoh, tossed the rest, and opened up space to store my waffle maker out of sight!)

  • A crock that held kitchen utensils (I had two crocks on the counter, but seldom used half of the utensils so they would get dusty; I put the less-used half in a drawer and donated the crock)

  • A TV (replaced by the one we bought from Amazon during the holidays)

  • Three suits (they didn’t fit great, and I don’t need to worry about having a variety of suits for court appearances anymore!)

  • A full shelf’s worth of reusable plasticware that I didn’t use anymore

  • Old plastic cups that we didn’t use

  • Expired medication

  • Expired food

  • Food we’re unlikely to eat

  • Extra sheets (I kept one set for each bed and got rid of the rest)

  • Extra towels that we are unlikely to use (in the process, I found infant towels that weren’t used through two babies)

  • Old phone books (and man, they’re heavy!)

  • Japanese calligraphy supplies (I haven’t used them in years)

  • Cheap wrapping paper that I avoided using because it tears so easily

  • Stationery that I won’t use (and I know that because I haven’t used it in the ten years it’s been sitting around)

    • What’s really astonishing is that we’re not pack rats, so there isn’t an overwhelming amount of clutter. But when I delve below the surface, I find that there are lots of things I can happily live without. I love reorganizing as I purge, and making the house more functional. It’s easier to find what’s left, and it looks so much nicer!

    What have you gotten rid of lately?

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    Related posts:

    1. Ten Tips for Decluttering Your House
    2. Morning Coffee: Decluttering is a gift to your loved ones
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    Filed Under: decluttering

    Comments

    1. Camille says:
      February 3, 2011 at 9:29 PM

      I've been doing this as well and my garage is about to burst (we're having a yard sale in March). Just this morning I went through and tossed ALL my make up. I wear it about once a year and most of it is at least 7-8 years old. I'd like to just get a few "natural" products to have on hand for when I want to wear it.

      Now you have me thinking about our sheets. We have 3-4 sets per bed and I think 2 sets per bed would be more than enough!

    2. Gina @ MoneywiseMoms says:
      February 3, 2011 at 10:37 PM

      I hear you, Cathy. We're minimalists too, and I'm still surprised at how things pile up. I am about to attack the basement.

    3. Thabal says:
      February 4, 2011 at 7:27 PM

      We just moved last week and I have doing this for over 3 weeks now. My hubby is so against accumulating things and still I have been decluttering so much. Thanks for the encouragement.

    4. Chief Family Officer says:
      February 7, 2011 at 2:07 PM

      @Camille – Me too! I forgot to include makeup to the list but I wear it so infrequently that I just tossed makeup that I've had for a few years too! On the sheets, keep extra fitted ones if you still have to deal with potty training!

      @Gina – Good luck with the basement!

      @Thabal – Flylady had some great advice on decluttering after you've moved. Just go through one box at a time, set a timer if you need to, to not be overwhelmed. Good luck!